Thinking Critically about World Wide Web Resources

Does the site claim to represent a group, an organization, an institution, a corporation or a governmental body?

Does the site offer a selected list of resources in a particular discipline or field or does it claim to offer a complete list? (Note: Be sure to check with a librarian on the range of information resources in a particular discipline.)

Does the site claim to describe or provide the results of research or scholarly effort?

Is any sort of third-party financial or other support or sponsorship evident?

s advertising included at the site, and if so, has it had an impact on the content?

Does the site combine educational, research & scholarly information with commercial or non-commercial product or service marketing?

Who designed the criteria used in selecting items for this site (if any), and who selected the items listed?

Is the site officially or unofficially sponsored or supported by particular groups, organizations, institutions, corporations or governmental bodies?

Can the researchers, scholars, groups, organizations, institutions, corporations or governmental bodies listed as authors, sponsors or supporters, be verified as such, and what are their qualifications?

How up to date is the study or the site?

Is there a fee for use of access to any of the information provided at this site, or is all information at this site freely available?

Are there options for text only, non-frames and non-tables views of this Web site?

Is alternative text provided for images, to guide the visually-impaired?

Are results of research studies reported in the style expected for that discipline?

Are references provided in the style normally used for documentation in that discipline?